These are a few of my favorite things

-I love picking through my beans before soaking them.  I love the sound they make against the blue bowl I put them in, and I love the feeling of running my fingers through their smooth shells.  Each little pebble, dirt clump, or piece of grass I find and remove is a small victory.

-I love just barely beating the rain home, then snuggling up in my hammock with a book and a hot mug of tea while the rain pours down on my tin roof. 

-I love understanding what people are saying about me in Q'eqchi' and then giving them that look that says "I totally just understood what you said, dude."  And then the Q'eqchi' laughter that ensues.

-I love those few moments when I'm in front of a classroom of kids and I can see that something just totally clicked.  Something I did or said worked and I got through to them.

-I love that even after a year, the Q'eqchi' women still totally kick my ass on the hike up to Tzibal.  This is despite the fact that they are 65 years old, carrying 15 pounds of vegetables on their heads, a baby on their back, and are wearing flimsy rubber sandals, while I carry nothing and have on hiking boots.